Tidings from Tibbetts

Transcription

1 Tidings from Tibbetts R e v e r e n d D o c t o r J o a n n e C a r l s o n B r o w n J u n e Founded 1909 I n f o r m a t i o n a n d I n s p i r a t i o n f r o m T i b b e t t s U n i t e d M e t h o d i s t C h u r c h J o a n n e s J o t t i n g s R e v. D r. Jo a n ne B rown I write this just after the close of the 2012 General Conference of the UMC, the governing body of the UMC that meets every 4 years to establish the rules and structure of the UMC. Delegates from more than 60 countries processed some 1,200 petitions during the assembly. This was to be a Conference after which the UMC would look very different. Well, that didn t happen. The major restructuring that passed after much compromise was declared unconstitutional by the Judicial Council (akin to the US Supreme Court). To my mind this is just as well as it would have placed too much power in the hands of too few. Some of the things it did do was offer an Act of Repentance to the First Nations peoples of this country for the way they have been historically treated and dealt with by the church and did a number of technical things that will not affect most UMCers in the pews. I suggest you go to pnwumc.org and click on the Continued on page 6 Inside this issue: General Conference notes from Joanne 1, 6-7 Spring is definitely here, and summer is on its way! With these two seasons come many opportunities for the youth here at Tibbetts. Over Memorial Day weekend the U pd ate b y N ico Romeijn - Sto ut senior high youth, plus Nico and Kylene Ushimaru attended CONVO at the University of Puget Sound. It was a great weekend of worship, workshops (including Nico s epic Quidditch workshop ), fun, and friends both new and old. CON- VO is one of many opportunities youth have to connect with other United Methodist youth in the area other opportunities include conference Jr. High retreats, Continued on next page Dinner and a Movie all about Seattle! Youth Visioning Update Special Social Events Spotlighted. Read all about it! Special Statement from General Conference 2 3 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 8

2 Page 2 Ti di ngs from Ti b b etts Saturday, June PM Step back in time for our June movie night. It is the 50 th anniversary of the Seattle World s Fair. 5 pm Crafts and Saturday Morning Cartoons: We will make cards for the shut-ins and decorate them with pictures or drawings of the Space Needle, 1962 World s Fair, or other Seattle stuff. There will be pictures and coloring sheets of Wheedle on the Needle and the Moon Mice. All the card making supplies and the addresses for the shut-ins will be available, so you just need to bring your creative talents, or your young kids. We will be showing some of the classic cartoons from the sixties while we have the craft tables set up for making cards. Bugs Bunny, Foghorn Leghorn a true step back in time. 6 pm Dinner: Dinner for the evening will be healthy Fair Food. We are not sure if it is possible to have healthy fair food when you consider elephant ears and deep fried Twinkies to be the standards. Did you know that Belgian waffles were introduced at the Seattle World s fair? Oh, the possibilities for dinner are endless and we may just throw out the healthy part of dinner for the evening. 7 pm: It happened at the World s Fair (1963, 105 minutes) starring Elvis Presley: Mike and Danny fly a crop-duster, but because of Danny's gambling debts, a local sheriff takes custody of it. Trying to earn money, they hitch-hike to the World's Fair in Seattle. While Danny tries to earn money playing poker, Mike takes care of a small girl, Sue-Lin, whose father has disappeared. Being a ladies' man, he also finds the time to court a young nurse, Diane. T i b b e t t s h a s a v a n! Our church family got a new car! Through the generosity of memorial funds, we purchased a gently used van from Olympia First UMC. The van will be used primarily for youth activities, but also to pick up people for church and other church events, as well as a mission van. Tibbetts Trustees will oversee the maintenance of the van. Drivers of the van will be certified after completion of a course on safely operating a large passenger van. Once approved, each driver is added to a list that will be kept in the church office so that all scheduling of van/ driver is done in a single place. The van is parked in the parsonage carport (slated for renovation this summer). This van will greatly aid in our outreach and ministry of the church and we are very excited to have it. We welcome other proposals for its use. Y o u t h S e r v i n g a n d L o v i n g T o g e t h e r a t T i b b e t t s (continued from page 1) Seattle area retreats, Starlight Sound dances, and our summer camp program (it s not too late to sign up!). In the spirit of United Methodist connectionalism, Tibbetts will be hosting two different youth events in June. The first is a youth group from Florida which will be staying one night at our church as they tour the country with their music ministry. The second is a Seattle area youth lock-in on June 29 th -30 th. For the lockin we ll actually be spending quite a bit of time outside in the (hopefully) warm summer night with a bonfire and some glow-inthe-dark ultimate Frisbee! Lastly, thanks to all who helped out or came to the May Parents Night Out, the evening was a great success! We are hosting our second one on June 1 st from 5 to 9pm, and I would like to extend a preemptive thank you to everyone who helps out with this one as well. All the proceeds are going towards our August mission trip in Eugene, OR. We will be having an additional fundraiser over the summer called Rent the Youth. So if you have some jobs around your house or property and need a few able bodies to get it done, start making the lists and look for more information coming shortly! Need more information? Contact Nico: YouthDirector@ TibbettsUMChurch.org

3 Page 3 Rever end Doc to r Jo a nne C ar ls o n B rown Youth Visioning Saturday, April 28, about 25 people spent the morning and part of the afternoon visioning what the youth program of TUMC could be and how we would promote a culture and ethos of congregational support for this important ministry of our church. Led by Nancy and Jim Davis we produced a mission statement, a values statement, and a vision for 1, 3 and 10 years down the road. SPR, the Youth Council, and the youth themselves will work with this document over the coming months as we unleash God s dreams for Tibbetts and for our youth program. And Remember: CELTIC S stands for Christian, Empowerment, Love and Learning, Training, Inclusion and Inspiration, Community, Ser- vice. Look for the logo and that mission statement not only on paper and other tangible objects but in our hearts and minds and souls as a congregation who lives the Way of Jesus in West Seattle and beyond. Tibbetts is in the West Seattle Grand Parade this year (again!) Once again we have an entry in the Grand Parade hosted by the West Seattle American Legion Post 160 on July 21 (a sunny day, for sure) and we hope you ll join us. We will be able to feature our brand new (to us) church van as our "float" for the parade this year! We ve got fun giveaways planned and are working on decorating ideas and some signage. If you d like to help out, please contact any member of the Fellowship (FUN) Committee and we ll gladly include you! On Parade Day, we ll gather at Tibbetts for a Rally Breakfast and then join the crowd near the Admiral Safeway until the parade begins. The parade route is down California Avenue through Alaska Junction and we welcome people of all ages. Ride a bike, unicycle or skateboard, rollerblade, walk your dog, ride in the van, or stroll along with the group. Help us show the spirit of Tibbetts and our faithful and loving place in the West Seattle Community. Christians In Action News A great big THANK YOU to all who gave so generously to Church World Service Mother's Day Blankets!!! You donated enough to buy 79 blankets, like the one that was on display. Keep up the good work Tibbetts, and we can "Blanket the World!" Tibbetts plans to participate again this year in the Seattle Pride Festival/ Parade. We will not be in the parade, but are planning to have a table display, as in the past, in the Fisher Pavilion at Seattle Center. Watch for more last minute information in the Sunday bulletins. There will be a sign up chart in the office window when we have more information. Please continue to recycle your newspapers and aluminum cans. Jim Roberts makes periodic deliveries to the recycle plant. Also, save those receipts from Metropolitan Market and the Thriftway store for the West Seattle Food Bank.

4 Happy Birthday in June! Page 4 Ti di ngs from Ti b b etts Alice in Wonderland Croquet Tournament Sponsored by Tibbetts Men s Group Saturday June 9 2 pm in Burien An Alice in Wonderland Croquet Tournament, you ask? Well, why not? What better excuse to go out and find a bunch of Pink Flamingos and use them as croquet hoops. We will have a few games of croquet, maybe one just for the youth, and then one for the young Gwen & Roland Francisco Pat & John Ingram Doris & Tom Barker Virginia & Paul Kinch Linda & Neil Schwartz Lois & Bob Snyder kids. And what would an Alice in Wonderland Croquet tournament be without a tea party with cucumber sandwiches, Mad Hatter cookies and pink lemonade? And since this is being sponsored by the Men s group, we will have some man food because real men do NOT eat cucumber sandwiches! H a p p y A n n i v e r s a r y i n J u n e Mary Marrah & Bob Williams Tricia & Andy Brown Joanne & Howard Hein Congratulations and many blessings! And yes, you are expected to be in costume for this, even if it is just a crazy hat! Should be lots of fun. Contact Mark Pierson to RSVP and get directions. pierson.m@comcast.net Barker 60th Wedding Anniversary The family of Tom and Doris Barker joyfully invite you to a reception on Sunday, June 10 th, to celebrate their 60 th wedding anniversary! Please join us in Adams Hall 2 4 pm to share your warm wishes for Tom and Doris and honor them at this momentous occasion. Betty Ferrel Elliot Smith Debbie Bevier Shelley Pierson Melissa Pierson Aubrey Seffernick Charles Borski Joann Hein Brenna Kari Alex Wong Graham McGinnis Sharman Herrin Carlotta Roberts MaryAnn Nagel U p d a t e o n P a s t o r J o a n n e Many of you have asked how you can support Joanne during her medical leave of absence. I had a nice chat with Joanne after church (her second Sunday away). She says she is starting to mend and is doing okay, but still has a ways to go. She said staying on one level is helpful for her and for Thistle. She is enjoying the giant card the church signed and has it on the wall by where she sits most of the time. I told Joanne about the positive responses from the congregation, but also people's desire to share their support more directly with her. I asked Joanne if people could contact her, with nonwork-related items, with their well-wishes and prayers...she said absolutely. You may contact her at her personal (SPR is checking her work ): nomatterwhat3@ comcast.net or you may mail a card/note to her, contact the office for her mailing address. Thank you again for your support and prayers as we sustain our wonderful ministry here at Tibbetts and beyond! Remember as Joanne always says prayer is powerful, prayer is important and prayer works. ~Kathy Yackey, Staff-Parish Chair

5 Page 5 Rever end Doc to r Jo a nne C ar ls o n B rown UMW is a part of the General Board of... U n i t e d M e t h o d i s t W o m e n The United Methodist Women will meet June 6th at 12 PM at the church. Bring your favorite dish to share and your own plates and silverware. All are welcome. We invite the men to come and share our picnic food! F i n a n c i a l S u m m a r y ( A p r i l ) Circle Norma Ruth Hugg Circle next meeting is in September. Bee North Circle next meeting is in September. Operating Budget Performance Apr 2012 YTD 2012 Income 22,076 73,279 Expenses -19,085-75,509 Income vs. Expenses 2,991-2,230 Reserves 17,342 Meetings Kolze Circle meets the third Thursday of the month at 7 pm. Contact Denise McKee for location information as the meeting moves each month. Sewing Circle meets in the Sewing Room the third Wednesday of the month from 10 am 2 pm. Coffee and tea provided, bring a sack lunch. Financial Update and request from your Finance Team Good news, bad news which do you want first? We ve got two pieces of good news so we ll start with the less-than-good and wind up on two positive notes! As you see from the financial update this month, we are somewhat behind in income versus expenses to date for That s the bad news. Here s some good news: If all of the pledges were up to date we would not be running a deficit this year. Yes that s right we will be on budget if all of the planned giving is up to date. Our expenses are below what our forecast was, so that helps a great deal with balancing our budget. If each of our faithful members will review their quarterly giving statement to confirm that their pledge is up-to-date, we can close the gap. Please contact Ron Kinch if you need to know your pledge balance or Pastor Joanne if your circumstances have changed. Our second piece of good news is that summer is here (or at least it was during Mother s Day weekend!) so we re enjoying longer & warmer days at last. It s important that we all keep up our pledge commitments during the summer months since church expenses don t take vacations. If we all work together we can keep the church in good financial health. For those of you who prefer to bank on line, many of the bill-pay features of your bank will support paying your pledge, even when you re on vacation. Thank you for your faithful support! Executive Committee Later summer meeting of the Executive Committee will be announced. Just a reminder Messages left at the church after 2pm on Thursdays are not checked until Monday mornings. Thanks

6 Page 6 Ti di ngs from Ti b b etts J o a n n e s J o t t i n g s G e n e r a l C o n f e r e n c e R e p o r t Continued from page one General Conference link to get a full report of the actions of Conference. But what I want to reflect on this month is the feeling of despair, anger, and alienation I and many here in the PNW felt as we listened on live stream to the debates and actions of Conference. Often the debates were mean-spirited. Things were happening and being proposed that I am sure are causing John Wesley to whirl about in his grave. There is creeping Calvinism and creeping Congregationalism at work in the UMC especially in national settings. The two things I would like to discuss are the loss of guaranteed appointments and the church s stance on lgbt issues. While guaranteed appointments may seem like an anachronism that protects incompetent clergy or unfortunate appointments, of which Tibbetts has had a few, it has historically served the purpose of protecting the vulnerable in ministry women, people of color, and people who take prophetic stances for justice that (see next page) Notice for Annual Conference and Continuing Education Joanne, Kathy Yackey, and Virginia Kinch will be representing Tibbetts and Nico Romeijn-Stout will be representing the Conference Young Adult Council while attending the PNW Annual Conference in Pasco, WA June 20 to 24. We covet your prayers and good thoughts as we strive to make the best decisions we can make for the future and present of this beloved entity we call the United Methodist Church in the Pacific Northwest. Joanne will be on Continuing Education leave June 26 July 10 working on a restructuring of the administrative and mission work of TUMC. Look for her reports when she returns in July and especially in the fall as her proposals come before Ad Council and the whole church. It won t be all work and no play she will be in Canmore, Alberta in the heart of the Canadian Rockies with her dear friend Lois how can she not be inspired! RED Potluck and Ice Cream Social June 3 In celebration of Pentecost and the birth of the church, the Fellowship FUN Committee invites you to a RED Potluck and Ice Cream Social, on June 3 rd just after the Worship Service. Oh, we know that Pentecost is actually May 27 th but since that is a holiday weekend for some, we thought it would be more fun to get together the following Sunday. Call it Pentecost+1. Since we all wear red on Pentecost Sunday, we ve planned a RED theme for the potluck. Please bring a main, salad or side dish that is RED. You heard it RED. Just think of the possibilities! We ll provide ice cream (the good stuff from Husky Deli) and cupcakes for dessert. Red ice cream. Red cupcakes. You get the idea: red, red, red! We hope you ll join us for this unique way to celebrate the birth of the church, Pentecost (+1), and spend some fellowship time with your Tibbetts family.

7 Page 7 Rever end Doc to r Jo a nne C ar ls o n B rown J o a n n e s J o t t i n g s c o n t i n u e d f r o m p a g e s 1 a n d 6 Continued from previous page might not be popular with their congregation or Bishop. That protection is gone. Now the Bishop and cabinet will decide without nationally proscribed guidelines for effectiveness who are the ineffective clergy and assign them to a transitional appointment which means they are out of the ministry. With a Bishop whose criteria is metrics numbers and an ideal of a young entrepreneurial clergy who will start new churches as the model, many pastoral ministers will find themselves on the verge of being not appointed. I know some in charge will say I am being unfair but it is the perception of many of the current PNW clergy. We do need effective pastors, every church deserves one. But the criteria needs to be clearly and mutually set out if we are to be asked to go when and where the Bishop says you see they didn t do away with the itinerancy. But the most troubling was the debate and decisions on lgbt folks. GC retained the church s position regarding lesbian and gay practice and people being incompatible with Christian teaching. It never considered the petitions to allow pastors to perform lesbian and gay covenant/marriage services, the funding provisions barring funding for promoting homosexuality, and the ban on lesbian and gay clergy being ordained, appointed or reappointed. While I did not expect this to change, for the last number of years the gap has grown closer to acceptance and change until this year when the vote was 60-40% against change the largest gap in over 16 years. And the tenor of the debate was down-right painful and dare I say it sinful. One Liberian delegate referred to lesbian and gay people as animals even the translator apologized. And here I sit, pastor of a Reconciling Congregation. What do I say to any lgbt person who wants to join the UMC? And Thomas Aquinas most deadly sin invades my soul acedia gradual, creeping despair. I used to hold out hope of change nationally. I no longer do. So what am I to do, vested and anointed in this tradition? I am adopting Voltaire s admonition from Candide and I am going to tend my own garden. Tibbetts UMC is a Reconciling Congregation in more than name. We are a welcoming, involving, workingfor-justice-andchange kind of church. We preach the message of God s deep and abiding and unconditional love for all and that will not change. And we are connected to many other churches not only in the PNW but in the UMC as a whole who feel this way as well. We will hold firm to the Wesleyan principles of each person a child of God, restored in God s image, of infinite value and worth. We will continue to strive for perfection in love in this life that casts out fear. We will abide in God as God abides in us in love radical, transforming, lifegiving and lifeaffirming love. We are United Methodist in the true Wesleyan tradition and we are proud of it and will not apologize. I invite you to stand with me in this conviction. To not let the bigots and those who want to narrow God s love or scope to drive us out of the church we love and which is part of our DNA. Change nationally may not occur, but we here in the PNW and especially at Tibbetts will embody the Gospel and we will live the Way of Jesus in West Seattle and beyond no matter what.

8 Tibbetts United Methodist Church st Ave. SW / Seattle, WA Church Members receive a different printed version via US Mail. Phone: churchoffice@tibbettsumchurch.org The Communications Committee has ensured addresses and phone numbers of church members who host events in their home are not published on the internet, and also protects the privacy of its Youth. Facebook.com/TibbettsUMChurch We welcome all people to celebrate and share God's love. Statement from General Conference May 2, 2012 On Wednesday May 2 nd several hundred United Methodists walked onto the floor of General Conference and spoke these words: The General Conference has broken Wesley s General Rule by doing harm to young adults, people of color, gay and lesbian people, women and others. Confusion has taken the place of Holy Conferencing. Legalism has obscured love. Fear has silenced faith. But even though the action of General Conference, and the inaction of our other leadership, has done great harm, we will always be a part of God s church. We are finished waiting. By waiting, more harm is done. We are centered in the Gospel. We are grounded in the Gospel. We are joyful in the Gospel. We are committed to following Jesus Christ to embody God s love and justice through the United Methodist Church. We will work passionately for racial justice. We will embody full inclusiveness for people of all sexual orientations. We will celebrate people of all gender identities. We are global, connectional, and repentant of colonialism. We will be a people of peace. We will proclaim the stewardship of creation joyfully. We will strive for economic justice. This is what it means to be United Methodist. We are here. We will remain in this church as long as we can preach the Gospel and faithfully make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of us all.